Chookie

The richest prize in pirate history was, perhaps surprisingly, not a Spanish vessel, nor was it in the Caribbean. In fact it was a Portuguese galleon, the Nostra Senhor de Cabo, which had been badly damaged in a storm. On the morning of 8th April 1720, this ship, while anchored in the harbour of La Réunion (Isle Bourbon, in the Indian Ocean) was attacked by pirates under the command of Olivier Levasseur (AKA “La Bouche”) and John Taylor.


The take from this attack was 200 slaves, diamonds valued at £500,000 and “precious objects” belonging to the Conde de Ericeira, the ex-viceroy of Goa, valued at £375,000 (at 1720 valuations).


It was reckoned that each of the 240 or so pirates got 5'000 guineas in gold and over 40 diamonds.


Somali pirates?? They're small fry.

tjadams

They took 5,000 live birds?

PADDYBOY

Fowl !!!

Toltec

5000 Liver birds??????/

Did any male live through it? Did they even want to live through it?

avon

£375,000 in 1720 is roughly valued at how much now??

Pedro

http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib...6/rp06-009.pdf

avon

Ah ... about £35 million !! Sweet. Thanks, mate!!

Chookie

I make it over £56,000,000 using the link Pedro provided, but that's not counting the 30 years between 1720 and 1750, which aren't accounted for in the paper.

I'm in the wrong job....

avon

Yup, I never noticed the last page that covers 1990 to 2005. My calculation was based on years 1750 - 1989. You're in the wrong job, I'm just wrong!!